Aftermath
by alison107
Summary: Picks up during hurricane. Ensemble. Involves: L&L2, Webbers, NiCo eventually done a little differently, Jax, RicAlexis, Reese, Justus, CarLoSkyeLoLuke, little bit of Sonny, JaSam, Quartermaines, Joneses, Mac, Durant eventually and more. Please R&R.
1. Prologue: Fallen Branches

**Aftermath**

**Prologue   
Fallen Branches **

---  
_To love at all is to be vulnerable.  
-C.S. Lewis _  
---

"I married you because I wanted to, Lorenzo. And I'm not sorry that I did." Carly sat down on their bed. "But the question is, are you?"

"Not yet," he answered, looking at her pointedly. "And I hope I won't be."

"Look, I'll drop the thing with Reese. I already told Jason. It's none of my business if she gives Sonny what's coming to him," Carly said. "You and me, that's where I am now, Lorenzo, but I'm not going to kowtow to you anymore than I'm willing to do it for Sonny anymore. You either believe in me, and love me, or you don't."

Lorenzo looked at his wife for a long moment before walking across the room to meet her. He took each of her hands in one of his. "I do," he said, leaning in against her forehead. "When I said 'I do,' I meant it. Just no more lies."

"No more lies," she echoed, leaning in to kiss him. They moved towards the bed as the lights went out again, leaving them in the darkness.

The storm raged outside, but their storm had passed. They forgot about the trees rustling outside, the turned-out lights, and even the broken mirror, not thinking of anything but each other.

---

Jason sat downstairs, alone, watching the hurricane die away in the earliest morning hours. The electricity was out. Sam was asleep, upstairs, passed out from exhaustion and tequila, but he hadn't really been able to sleep. He still couldn't shake Dr. Thomas's words.

_Jason can't empathize. The brain damage is too extensive. No matter how hard he tries. He only sees what's right in front of him. _

He knew Sam wanted to forget his limitations, wanted him to forget his limits. Maybe he had even started to forget them earlier, but the second he heard those words, it came back. He was damaged. He was different. And that wasn't going to change. He couldn't forget.

Dr. Thomas came downstairs, and Jason looked up. "I didn't think you'd be up," the doctor said. "Things seem to be clearing up some, outside. I was going to see if I could leave now."

"I don't see why not," Jason answered, nodding towards the door as if to say, _go on, then. _

But Dr. Thomas didn't move, and Jason sighed. "What?" Even he couldn't understand what about the doctor got him this on edge.

"I can tell you've been thinking on what we spoke about. I hope you'll be prepared to do what's best for Michael."

"What is it you're trying to get me to do exactly? I drop him off at the sessions. I take care of the kid. What do you even want that has to do with Michael? You just keep talking about me." Jason asked. "My accident has nothing to do with him."

"It's a trauma that has a ripple effect – even to Michael, because it shaped the first year of his life, a very important time for children, in terms of their psychological makeup. Even more important because they don't quite remember it," Dr. Thomas explained, in his slow, condescending voice. Jason turned away from him, back towards the window. "It's ironic that you, of all people, would be unable to understand that. But I can understand why. It's part of what we talked about last night, with the extent of the brain damage. You've done remarkable for all your limitations. I'm amazed you can function at all."

"And what am I supposed to say, thank you? Why are you still here, talking about this?"

"I'll go. Thank you for the comfortable room," the doctor said. "And I do hope you'll do what's best for Michael. His treatment is at a critical stage."

---

A branch struck the windshield of Courtney's already crashed car, cracking the glass. Pieces fell inward, dusting with her blond hair, as she lay unconscious across the steering wheel.

---

Elizabeth brought Lucky to his feet. "There are things we need to talk about first – serious things. Before we take that step."

"Everything can fall into place."

"Life doesn't work that way," Elizabeth reminded him. "I think we should wait to decide on this...on marriage, until we see if I'm pregnant. And maybe until after the baby is born, if I am. I don't want to trap you in a situation you're not happy with. I don't want to fight like that."

"So, if you're not pregnant, you won't try again?"

"I didn't say that," she said softly. "But I will think about it. And we'll both think about this," she said, taking the ring from him. "Just tuck it away for now. I just want to know we're not trying to solve everything with one big gesture."

Lucky sighed, hurt, but also understanding that if he wanted to prove to Elizabeth he was really honest, that he would need to wait. "This discussion isn't over, though."

"I hope not," Elizabeth said softly, and he smiled, even though they both knew there might be harder days ahead. The lights did come back on, though, as they embraced.

---

Lorenzo and Carly lay in each others arms as the lights came back on. He was amazed at how quiet she could look in his arms, this feisty woman beside him. But they were interrupted by a knock on the door.

Lorenzo sighed and began to dress. Carly pulled the sheet tight around her and sat up in bed.

He opened the door, just slightly, to keep Carly's privacy. "What do you want?" He asked, seeing Reese.

"I just thought I'd come up and tell you we're leaving."

"Bye," Carly called loudly, "Don't let the door hit you on the way out."

"The bridge is fine to drive again," Reese added, "so everyone should be clearing out."

"Thanks," Lorenzo said, as if dismissing her as well. "I trust you and Mr. Corinthos can find your way out." He did start to dress, though. "I should get downstairs. To make sure this…event ends smoothly."

"Because it's gone so smoothly so far," Carly quipped, but she pulled out of the sheets and began dressing as well.

---

Jax came upstairs to knock on Alexis's door and found Ric, leaning against it. He smiled. Ric was asleep on the floor, against the door. "Ric, hey," he bent down to shake him on the shoulder. "Hey."

Ric started to wake, a bit startled. "Hey. Uh. Jax. What's up?"

"The bridge is clearing. You should be able to take Alexis to the hospital very soon, to get her checked out."

"That's good news," Ric said, looking visibly relieved. He let out a long breath. "Should we wake her now?"

"Yeah. In a minute," Jax said, sitting down next to the man. "Did you sleep out here all night?"

Rick was notably rumpled, understandably, with his jacket beside him and his pants wrinkled from sitting all night. Jax, for his part, was notably unwrinkled, but he had taken his bow tie off and put it in his jacket pocket.

Ric looked up at him and sighed, "Can't you tell?"

Jax laughed and nodded. "Standing guard?"

"Just didn't want to get too far," Ric answered. "I left after she fell asleep. She's a light sleeper." That part was a lie. He just hadn't known whether she would want him there, or not. He didn't know what to do with Alexis, or about Alexis, most of the time.

Jax squinted at him, knowingly. "You forget I was married to her. I lived with her. She always seemed like a pretty heavy sleeper to me."

"Things change, I guess." Ric said, rubbing his face and getting himself to his feet. "Maybe the pregnancy affects her sleeping patterns."

"Maybe," Jax said, standing up again.

"Anyway, I want to get her to a doctor. Make sure everything's alright."

"You can take the limo. It's on it's way back over the bridge now. I already called," Jax said. "Seeing as your car's in a ditch."

"Okay. Thanks. I'm sure Alexis will want to thank you, too." He gestured towards the door.

"Tell her I'll call her later. See how she's doing. I'm getting a ride home with Nikolas and Emily," Jax said. "Unless you need help getting her down the stairs."

"No. I think we'll be alright."

---

"My car's still here, so we can get out of here," Lucky said, staring outside. "It's cleared up all it needs to."

"Has someone told Alexis?" Elizabeth asked.

Nikolas entered and heard the last few words. "Yeah, I was just up there. Jax just finished telling Ric. She and Ric are taking Jax's limo to the hospital."

Lucky still winced at the mention of Jax, but tried not to show it. He wasn't willing to lose Elizabeth over this argument, not now.

"Good. Well, then, yeah, we should get home. I really want to get home to Cam," Elizabeth agreed with Lucky. "I'll go get my purse. I set it down in the living room."

"You'll be okay, getting home."

"Yeah, I just need to track Emily down, and then we're leaving, too."

"You guys doing okay?"

Nikolas let out a long sigh. "No. You guys?"

"Better now. Hopefully. I just hope she isn't pregnant."

"Think of everything you had to get through to be together again."

"You, too," Lucky reminded Nikolas.

"Yeah. Why is it you never think... when you start out, you never imagine it could get this hard," Nikolas said, but then he answered his own question. "Probably because it looks so much easier from the outside. Just look at me and Emily." He sounded like a kid, just finding out there are no fairy tales, no Easter Bunny, no magic in the world.

Lucky just shrugged at his brother. It was hard to believe Nikolas had never learned the lesson sooner.

---

Monica found Alan outside, in what was left of the rose garden after the hurricane. He had been sitting there calmly for hours, even though it was raining.

Monica knew Alan well enough to know something was up. Lately, he had seemed less himself, another mood swing, longer this time. Ever since AJ's initial disappearance and murder, and now Lila's death, they'd been fighting each other, so they wouldn't have to fight anything else.

Looking at the wreckage of the hurricane felt cleansing. Monica felt she could empathize with the poor roses. "Have you been sitting out here all this time? You're soaked through, Alan."

"Look at this mess," he said, instead of answering her. "We were lucky to have made it home before it got any worse last night."

She sat down next to him. It was still raining, but only barely. "Yes. Just imagine being stranded in that house. Though, it's only barely worse than being stranded with this family." She was light, though, joking, and he smiled.

"Just barely."

Monica sighed, feeling very old suddenly. "When you want to talk about it, we can."

"About what?"

"Whatever's bothering you lately." Monica looked at her husband. "I know we haven't seemed…close lately."

"Have we ever been close, Monica?" He sounded almost cryptic. She couldn't know he was thinking about secrets. How many he'd had. Not that she hadn't had her share.

"God, I hope so," she said. "We've wasted an awful lot of years otherwise."

He looked at her for a moment. "I've been thinking I should get away. Thinking of resigning at the hospital. Since mother's death, especially. And A.J."

"Oh," She said. She started to stand up.

"But, maybe, we should both go," he added. "See what there really is outside of this madhouse."

She softened. At least he had asked. "I don't know." She had things she didn't want to leave. Emily. The hospital.

"You don't have to decide right away. I've just been thinking, like I said," he said softly, pushing the edge of a broken branch with his shoe.

---

Skye was drinking coffee on her porch, from the Lake House, when she saw him approach, walking through the remnants of the hurricane.

"You always return to the scene of the crime," she said, teasing. "What brings you back now?"

"The company," Luke said, smiling. He sat down in a chair beside her, out of the rain, under her porch. "Did you sleep much?"

"No. Not at all. Too loud."

"Yeah. Tracy snored through it, but I've been rattling around all night. Always been a night person anyway."

"Me, too," Skye admitted. "Though I've fought it."

"Not much left of the storm."

"No," she said, "not much." She paused, sighing as she finished the last of her coffee. "Why not tell me what you're really doing over here? You didn't walk all the way over in the rain for a chat."

"Sure I did," Luke said, smiling. "But that doesn't mean I don't have anything important to say. I was hoping for a good scheme."

"To do what?"

"Get the money Tracy owes me back from E.L.Q. Thought you might want to help me out, Blaze. I'm getting restless with the situation," he said. "And I never was a patient man."

---

Bobbie sunk down, onto a chair in the nurses' lounge, feeling exhausted, but mostly low. She'd been doing paperwork for all the hurricane injuries all night, but still not able to attend to patients because of the ongoing law suit. Her days were full of paperwork now, that and legal discussions.

She sighed. No need for changing. She hadn't been in scrubs, without patients. She just grabbed her purse and started to leave. Hopefully, the hurricane had lightened, gotten far enough away for her to leave.

As she was leaving, however, she saw an orderly wheeling Alexis in, with Ric not two steps behind at any time, and stopped to walk with them.

"What's wrong? Are you two okay?"

They were all walking towards the E.R.

"We thought Alexis might be going into labor," Ric said quietly. "But the contractions stopped. Just stress. But now, she's losing amniotic fluid."

Bobbie nodded, not showing worry. "Last I heard, Dr. Meadows was still here. I'll page her to the E.R." She looked at Alexis briefly. "You'll be okay. You're probably fine if it's just oligohydramnios, which I'm sure it is. It's very common."

"Thanks," Alexis told Bobbie, as Bobbie left, to page their obstetrician for them.

"See, it's common," Ric said, not looking any more relieved himself.

Alexis still couldn't help feeling there was something wrong, and, honestly, neither could he.

Bobbie was on her way to page Dr. Meadows when she saw the main door to the emergency room open. She recognized the blond girl on the gurney immediately, and it stopped her mid-dial.

---

Elizabeth and Lucky entered their darkened living room to hear only the sound of Cameron wailing. Lucky tried turning the lights on, but the power was still out at their apartment.

"Grams?" Elizabeth called, as she went first into Cameron's room. "Oh, no, Lucky," she shouted from the nursery.

Lucky ran in.

Cameron was in his crib, shivering and crying. The window was broken, and branches lay on the water-stained carpet next to an unconscious Audrey.


	2. Chapter 1: Injuries, Inside Out

**Note On Casting: **In my head, the part of "Arielle Webber," is played by, perhaps, Eileen Davidson (I know her from Y&R, but she's also been on DAYS, I think). And though I never watched when "Jeff Webber" was on (I have seen clips, of course), I see no reason for him to be played by anyone other than Richard Dean Anderson, the original portrayer, in my head, though I've only seen him in pictures and clips.

As for "Sarah Webber," I didn't like the last one and barely remember the first one, so I've cast her in my mind as Ashley Jones (Bridget Forrester from B&B), who is probably a little too old to fit into the timeline of when Jeff left, but oh, well; she plays younger than this currently anyway. And I need Sarah to be at least mid-twenties for this story to work. And, then there's "Gina Cates," and I can't see Nikki Cox (the original) playing my version of the character here, and can't remember the name of the second girl who played her, so in my mind, she's Amelia Heinle (also from Y&R, plays "Victoria," and she was "Steffi" on Loving.)

You may imagine who you will in the roles, of course – that's just my brief toss out of ideas on the parts. Eileen Davidson seems a little too electric at first, for "Arielle," but I thought Arielle should have a sort of electric coldness, which I've always thought Davidson could do brilliantly. As for Ashley Jones, I just like her energy and think she'd be good for my version of Sarah (who was never that well defined on the show, IMO).

I also, despite thinking Sarah Brown is the real "Carly," imagine Tamara Braun as "Carly" here. Just because TB's "Carly" fits better into my story, IMO. And I most definitely imagine Kristina Wagner as "Felicia." As for "Maxie," while I preferred Robyn, I have to say Kristen Storms's version fits better here, with what I'm going to do with her (not that I like what they've done with "Maxie" and KS on the show).

Feel free to disregard all of this.

-Alison

**Chapter One  
Injuries – Inside and Out **

---

"_Inside every small problem is a large problem struggling to get out."   
Second Law of Blissful Ignorance _

---

Less than forty-eight hours later, the storm had passed and was already beginning to dissipate over southeastern Canada. But just like any other disaster in Port Charles, the wreckage was more than just ruined property, lost tree branches, and downed electric lines.

Bobbie stood outside the room where Felicia sat next to her unconscious daughter. Both women were remembering that night, what had happened after Maxie had been brought in to the E.R.

_Bobbie quickly paged Dr. Meadows for Ric and Alexis before dialing the Scorpio-Jones residence. No answer. Just the machine. _

"_Felicia, this is Bobbie. You need to get down to the hospital as soon as you get this. I don't want to worry you, but it's about Maxie." _

"_What is?" Felicia asked from behind her. Mac was standing next to his wife. _

"_They just brought her in. I saw it," Bobbie answered. "Come on. They took her this way. It looked like she was still conscious when I saw her." _

_The three of them caught up with her as the doctors were prepping her for the O.R. _

"_What's wrong with her?" Felicia asked, frantically, as the doctors tried to motion for her to stay back. _

"_I'm fine, Mom," Maxie said faintly, not sounding very convincing from her place on the gurney. "Just my arm." _

"_Her shoulder," Gina Cates, the E.R. doctor added. She was older than when we'd last seen her and in her residency now at General Hospital."We do need to operate to remove the bullet, though. It would help speed that up if you could sign some forms. The sooner we start, the better for your daughter." _

"_I'll get the paperwork started," Bobbie offered, forgetting her shift ended five hours ago. She put her hand on Felicia's shoulder before she left, trying to comfort her friend. _

_The others wheeled Maxie into an area where she could be prepped for surgery while Mac, Felicia, and Gina spoke outside the room. _

"_Will she be able to handle a surgery? With her heart complications?" Mac asked. "You know her history, right? Shouldn't we get Monica Quartermaine, or someone, in here, to check that out, first?" _

"_We can try paging Dr. Quartermaine, but with the storm, I'm not sure we can get ahold of her. Of course, I've seen her chart, and a cardiologist will have to examine her first. We've paged someone already," Gina promised. "But this is a routine extraction." _

"_Routine. Then we have some time," Felicia started, half-asking, half-stating. _

"_Not exactly," Gina answered. "Postponement isn't really the best option here. There will always be risks, but leaving the bullet where it is will do permanent muscle damage and possibly cause infection –   
and that puts her more at risk for heart complications. The best way to stave that off is to do the extraction as soon as possible." _

"_I don't know," Felicia said. _

"_Either way, we have to decide soon. Sew it up as is, or get the bullet out. Before she loses any more blood." _

_Bobbie had come back by then, with paperwork. "Bobbie?" Felicia asked. _

_Bobbie nodded. "Let them work. It's best for her." _

_Felicia sighed and signed the papers. "Can we see her before she goes in?" _

"_Yeah. A few minutes," Gina said. "And I'll get a cardiologist down here now." _

"_Thanks." _

Now, Maxie was still alive but barely. No one was sure if she could recover. Or even wake up. As Mac and Felicia had feared, the surgery had been a shock to her body, to her weak heart. During the simple extraction, Maxie had crashed, and she still hadn't woken up. They hadn't said the word yet, but both Bobbie and Felicia were thinking the same thing: she'd fallen into a coma.

---

"Is your husband in his office?" Gina Cates asked Monica, only a few feet from the chief of staff office.

"No. I was just leaving a note for him," she answered the younger woman. She observed the papers in Gina's hands, and noted how upset the girl looked. "Something wrong?"

"I just wanted to tell him I was willing to hand in my resignation. I would understand… I mean, I've only been here a week, and… Well, it's here," she said, holding up the paper.

Monica sighed, knowing why Gina had come. "Dr. Cates, I'm sure no one's reprimanding you, or suspending you from anywhere. And there'll be no need for that paperwork," Monica told the distraught doctor in front of her. "It was the same call anyone would have made. The cardiologist on duty agreed. If I'd gotten my page in time, I would have agreed."

"The parents thought this might happen," Gina said, sinking into a chair. Monica sighed, understanding why Gina blamed herself for Maxie's condition. "And I told them it was routine."

"It was a routine surgery," Monica tried again to reassure her. "There's no saying whether she'd be better off if she hadn't gone in. There was a real risk of an infection, or even the same shock, if we just tied the wound up. Not to mention permanent damage."

"If she dies, that's permanent damage." Gina sighed.

"If Maxie dies, God forbid, it won't be your fault. You made the best call you could have. That's what doctors do."

Just then, Monica was paged over the intercom. "I have to go answer that," she said. "But put your resignation away, Dr. Cates. The hospital's extremely busy after the hurricane. I'm sure there's work to be done."

---

Mac approached Jesse's hospital room, to speak to the uniformed police officer standing guard. He couldn't help remembering what Maxie had said before she went into surgery.

"_Listen, Mac..." Maxie started. "You have to help Jesse." _

"_Help Jesse. Maxie, you got shot because of him." _

"_It was Murphy. He's the bad cop. He's the one that shot me and framed Jesse. Find my cell phone. I taped it," she murmured. Mac made out most of the words, but tried to shush her. It was obviously draining her energy to speak. _

"_Don't worry about all that," Felicia added. _

"_Promise me," she asked as they started to wheel her towards the O.R. "Mac, promise me, you'll at least listen to Jesse's side." _

"_Maxie, you need to concentrate on yourself. Not Jesse."  
"Promise me," she continued, not giving in. Louder, "Promise me." _

_He sighed. "I promise." _

"Any word on when his doctor is releasing him into our custody?" Mac asked the officer.

"Tomorrow, sir, last I heard."

"Thanks," Mac said. "I'll prep internal affairs, get someone to question him then."

"He's been asking to see you, Commissioner," the officer suggested. "If you want to question him. But he'll only see you."

"Yeah. Durant told me." Mac sighed. "I think it's better he gets back to the station in one piece."

---

Elizabeth approached the Nurse's Desk with a chart. "File this under room 812, it's the chart for Mrs. Courtney Jacks. Thanks," she told the woman at the desk. She looked tired as she leaned against it, and it wasn't just her ten-hour shift wearing on her.

"Are you doing okay?" Her brother, Stephen, asked, coming up beside her.

She looked up and almost smiled. "Yeah. Just worried."

Stephen knew she was worried about Audrey – everyone in the family was, but he knew Elizabeth felt responsible. "She's doing much better. It's just a concussion. No broken bones or anything. I'm sure she'll be fine."

"I just feel so bad. We shouldn't have left her with Cam in that storm..."

"Hey, you didn't know the storm was going to turn, or that the window was going to break," Stephen said. "Don't beat yourself up. A lot of people got injured in the hurricane worse than Audrey."

"Yeah. Like poor Courtney. I just came from her room. She's still really..." But Elizabeth couldn't find the words.

Just then, the elevator doors opened, and she saw three familiar faces she didn't expect. "Mom, Dad, Sarah," she said, with more shock than anything else, "what are the three of you doing here?"

---

Dr. Thomas was writing intently into a notepad inside a blue binder when he saw Alan Quartermaine standing in his door.

"I'll give you two million dollars to leave today," Alan offered from the doorway, looking steely, "and never come back to General Hospital."

"That didn't work out so well for you last time. Can't keep me away. I just love Port Charles," Asher Thomas said, flashing a half-smile at Alan, not looking up. "And where would you get the money anyway? Rumor has it your family's kind of…floundering in the money area."

Alan didn't answer that, and he didn't look surprised his offer had been turned down. "Haven't you done enough here?"

"No. My study still isn't complete." The doctor finally looked up, closing his notebook. "I'm not here to stir up anything. There's no reason you should feel threatened," he said, condescendingly, looking Alan in the eye. "I'm just finishing up some research. I'm just observing."

---

Carly paced outside of Courtney's room, unsure of whether her friend would see her, or if she would just upset her more than anything else. She sighed and walked over to the corner, leaning against the wall, not willing to go or stay yet.

---

Alexis sighed as she flipped through the channels on the television, wishing she were anywhere except confined to a hospital bed. They'd kept her for observation, to avoid any complications.

"They still holding you?"

She looked up, smiling a little, and nodding her head at Jax as he entered. His tone had been light and playful, but his expression looked like he was being held underwater.

"How's Courtney?" Were the first words out of her mouth. "I heard…"

"Everybody has. You know as much as I do," Jax answered, sitting down beside his friend's hospital bed. "She won't let me see her."

Alexis looked up, surprised at first, and then, as they sat in silence for a moment, she felt sad for him, understanding the thing neither of them wanted to say. She'd heard how bad Courtney's accident had been, physically. She'd broken her collarbone, her left shoulder, and, most of all, her entire face had been cut and broken. Words like "reconstructive" were being thrown around.

He just sat there for a long moment. Neither one of them had to speak. Even when he finally did, they were words Alexis hadn't needed to hear.

"I'm just surprised she thinks – that it would matter."

"I'm not," Alexis said softly. "How would you feel? How did you feel when you were paralyzed."

"Scared." Jax sighed. "I just wish I could get through to her."

She reached out and squeezed his hand. "You will."

He smiled. "I can't believe I'm coming here for support. I mean, isn't this backwards? Which one of us is in the hospital bed?" He pointed out. "How are you doing? What do they say about the baby?"

"They told us it was probably going to be fine, but I have to be kept-an-eye-on more than usual. I may have some sort of condition that can cause some problems, something about leaking amniotic fluid. They're worried if it gets too low… the baby could be stillborn." She said, getting more worried with every word. "Which is why I'd be fine with focusing on your problems. Because I don't even want to think about mine."

---

In another wing of the hospital, Ric and Reese sat, going over the Durant lawsuit.

"A lot of people still can't be reached for deposition. Storm stuff, I guess," Ric said, sighing. "Looks like we're getting nowhere. But there's probably going to be a continuance anyway. Durant will be needing a new lawyer."

"How is Alexis? They say she won't be able to work?"

"I say she won't," Ric said, sighing. "She's going to kill herself if she keeps it up. Stress is very bad for her condition – or the condition she might have. The doctors aren't sure of anything yet."

"I'm sorry. Hope she's okay," Reese offered. She sighed, packing up her breifcase. "Why aren't you sitting with her? We can't get much work done here, today, and I can finish up."

"I can't… I don't know. I can't stay in there, because I'm," Ric paused a long second, trying to find the words to say why he wasn't sitting with his pregnant wife, why he'd spent no more than ten minutes at a time there since they'd admitted her, why he'd slept just outside her door at Lorenzo's house.

"Afraid," Reese finished. "Of what?"

He nodded. "I don't know. Of fighting with her, maybe, making things worse… with the baby. Of losing her completely. Of realizing I'm never going to be able to make this 'family' thing work."

"With her, or with anyone?"

"Both, maybe." Ric sighed. "I don't have a good excuse, or any answers, for why I'm not sitting with Alexis instead of trying to drum up work to get my mind off of it. I should be in there, with my family, but I'm not. I'm busy being anywhere but where I should be."

---

"It's not that I think Nikolas doesn't love me, or doesn't understand – well, he can't completely understand," Emily said softly to Dr. Louise Winters, "but it's not about that. And it's not even that he just looks like Connor. He also – it's like, I can't away from that whole period. I can't go back, and everything, and everyone, is still the same, so I can't go forward either. I can't go anywhere. It's like being trapped."

"Have you told any of this to Nikolas?"

"Of course not," Emily said, almost laughing, one of those frustrated laughs that feels closer to crying. "I mean, he knows – he understands we have problems. But there's no point in rehashing it with him constantly until I find out a way to fix myself."

"That's an interesting choice of words," Louise said. "Fix yourself. Is that why you're here, talking to me?"

"Yeah. I know it sounds impossible, awful, like I'm trying – I'm not trying to run away. I don't what I'm doing anymore."

---

"We heard about the accident, during the hurricane," Jeff Webber answered his daughter's question. "Of course we came. We were afraid it could be serious."

"She just bumped her head. She's going to be fine," Stephen said quickly, not wanting them to add to his sister's fears.

"At her age," Arielle Webber – Jeff's wife – put in, "That could be serious, too." Arielle was a blue-eyed, blonde woman; if someone were pressed to use just one adjective to describe her, it might be "cool," as in not quite cold. The absence of heat was present in her look, manner, and speech. Her eldest daughter, Sarah, resembled her more closely than her younger daughter, Elizabeth.

It was Sarah who saved Elizabeth from feeling uncomfortable for long, or tried at least. "I've seen Grams, and she looked fine, though," Sarah added. "How's Cameron doing?"

"Yes, your mother and I wanted to see our grandson, too. And we thought now would be as good a time as any," Jeff added.

"Cameron is fine. Lucky and I will have you guys over for dinner tonight, of course," Elizabeth added. "We'll have a big, family dinner."

Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"That sounds wonderful," Jeff said, warmly. "Of course we'll come."

Sarah smiled a bit uncomfortably, and both sisters shared the same uncomfortable glance. Neither one of them wanted to be caught in that situation, but neither wanted to discuss the past in front of their parents.

"Well, I've got to – I made an appointment with Dr. Quartermaine for this afternoon, I've got to make, to talk to him," Sarah said quickly, trying to extract herself. "I'll see if I can make it later."

"Why wouldn't you be able to?" Arielle asked her older daughter, but Sarah had already started walking away. "Now that was strange," Arielle added.

"You know Sarah," Elizabeth said.

"Yes, I do. And that was strange."

"I guess. Look, I have to get back to work. I'll see you guys tonight," Elizabeth said quickly.

"Yeah. I should get back, too, if I'm going to meet you guys for dinner," Stephen said before turning to catch up with Elizabeth.

Away from their parents, he stopped her. "Hey. Here," he started to hand her money.

"What are you doing?" She asked, but she was smiling.

"It's fifty dollars. For dinner. Feeding four extra mouths isn't going to be cheap. And I don't want to hear mom and dad worrying about you. I know it's been harder, with the storm damage and all."

"Stephen," she said, sighing, but she took the money. "Thank you. But we're not in the poorhouse over a broken window."

"I know that."

"Besides, hopefully, it will only be three extra mouths," Elizabeth said, underneath her breath, hoping her sister wouldn't come.

---

Carly took a deep breath and finally decided to go into Courtney's hospital room. If there was ever a time for friendship, maybe this was it.

She had to work hard, she knew, not to look shocked at what she saw. Courtney's arm was in a sling, and her body looked bruised, but the hard part was her face.

"You're just luck they haven't taken most of the bandages off yet," Courtney said, seeing Carly through a haze of gauze. "I haven't seen it either, but I imagine it isn't good."

"Heard you were coming to the party," Carly said softly.

"Yeah, driving through the hurricane – probably not my best idea," Courtney said, bitterly, blaming herself.

"Why were you in such a rush to get home?" Carly asked, sensing there must be a reason Courtney had hurried from Manhattan.

"That's a long story. And it doesn't really matter now anyway."

_Next chapter:  
Sam starts digging around and finds help in unlikely places.  
Elizabeth takes a pregnancy test.  
Skye is unsure about Luke's plan.  
Mac follows through on his promise to Maxie and listens to the recording on her cell phone.  
&more _

-Alison

P.S. For my Maxie/Jesse story (which I can't stand on the show but need to do something with here --- you'll see why later), most of the scenes with Murphy can't have happened how they did onscreen, just an upcoming F.Y.I.


	3. Chapter 2: Baby Steps

**Note: **I mistakenly, in the last chapter had Stephen call Arielle "mom" (say "mom and dad" actually to Elizabeth) and she's not his mother, (I'm pretty sure he's Stephen Lars Webber from back in the day, right?) but I didn't deal with it; let's just suggest he has no one else to call mom, and calls her that, despite the fact that she's his step-mother.

-Alison

**Chapter Two**

**Baby Steps**

---

"That grief is light which can still take counsel."

-Lucius Annaeus Seneca

---

"That's a long story and it doesn't really matter now anyway," Courtney said, and Carly could hear in her voice what had happened.

Everyone thought Courtney was mourning her face – but Carly had known there had to be more. That wasn't Courtney. Now, Carly understood what Courtney had lost – it wasn't sculpted cheekbones or a beautiful nose; she'd lost a child. Another one.

"But how? I thought – "

"Yeah, I lost a miracle," Courtney said softly. "The odds were against me. 90 chance against it. They couldn't find a viable egg when they went looking, but apparently, there was at least one somewhere in there. The doctor confirmed that I was, back in Manhattan. Only barely. Less than a month. And he warned me," she said, but then she paused, lost in herself, in the memory. "He said there was a good chance I couldn't carry it to term. That I shouldn't get my hopes up too high. Guess he was right, though I don't think this was what he meant."

Carly could hear in her voice that her friend was at least close to tears, but there was a mess of gauze, a haze of wrappings that kept her from seeing her friend's expression. Not that she needed to see it, or even hear it – she could feel it.

There wasn't anything left to say, so she reached out for her friend's hand and held on. Courtney squeezed her hand back.

---

Mac sighed, holding Maxie's cell phone in his hands. He was sitting on the staircase at home, alone, in an empty house. Everyone else was at the hospital, but he needed to think.

He wanted to keep his promise to her, but he couldn't talk to Jesse yet. As a law enforcement officer, he wasn't sure if he should even listen to her voice recordings – it was illegal to tape someone's speech, and certainly inadmissible in court. But he'd promised her he'd listen.

He scrolled to find the voice recordings. There was only one, taking up the full ninety seconds her phone would hold. He couldn't imagine how she could have recorded anything in ninety seconds that proved Jesse's innocence.

"Okay, Maxie, let's see what you've got," he said softly, hitting play. There was a jumble of static, motion, fiddling, at first. Then, finally, halfway through, he heard voices:

_Murphy: (steely) I'm not doing anything. All I'm doing is stopping a fugitive. _

_Jesse: Come on, man. Put the gun down.(pause) We don't want any trouble. Just put the gun down._

_(scuffle, shots, and then the tape cuts off)_

Mac's eyes flashed at the sounds of shots. Whatever – or whomever – he was to believe, or what he had actually heard in there, he couldn't know. Was Murphy threatening? It was possible, sounded so, but the tape was too short. What he did know was clear: Murphy had been there when Maxie was shot.

Mac set the cell phone down on an end table on his way out the door.

---

"You look exhausted," Bobbie said as she watched Elizabeth drop off another chart. "Are you feeling okay? Audrey's doing much better now. I was just in there," she offered.

"Yeah. I saw her on my break," Elizabeth said softly. She tried smiling at Bobbie, but the room felt a little uneven, still. "I just feel a little – "

But she couldn't finish for two reasons. One, because she had to rush away, towards the ladies room to avoid throwing up on counter of the Nurses' station. And two, because a person should never say _a little pregnant_.

Bobbie walked after her for a moment, just to check and see if Elizabeth was okay. But she waited outside the restroom door for a few minutes first, to give the girl some privacy. After a moment, she stepped in.

By that time, Elizabeth was putting water on her face.

"You okay, Lizzie?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Bobbie. I'm okay." She paused. "Hey, how quick do you think they'd be able to work me in at the lab, for a pregnancy test."

Bobbie looked surprised for a moment, but then nodded. "Let me see if we can't get one done after your shift."

"Thanks." Elizabeth answered, and Bobbie left. Elizabeth stared at her face in the mirror, wondering how she felt about the room spinning. A week ago, she knew what she wanted the answer to be, knew what she was doing, or at least thought she did. Today, she wasn't sure what she wanted or didn't want.

In her contemplation, another wave of nausea overtook her, and she rushed back into the stall to throw up again.

---

Sam nearly runs into Emily in the hospital. Emily's just come from her therapy session, and hasn't quite put her brave face on yet, and Sam notices.

"Something wrong?" Sam asks, momentarily forgetting the reason she'd come.

"No. Just the day to day," Emily said. "What are you doing here?"

Sam looks at Emily for a moment before she answers, as if considering whether to tell her the truth or not. She decides yes. Emily is her friend. Emily won't rat her out. "Maybe you can help," she starts. "I need to get Jason's medical records."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Just something strange." Sam paused. "It's all this stuff with Dr. Thomas. Jason hates him, which makes sense, but at the same time, everything that Dr. Thomas says about Jason, it's almost like…Jason believes him. And Dr. Thomas is always digging for Jason's memories, and – I just have an instinct. I want to see exactly what is supposed to be wrong with Jason."

Emily listens and nods. "Okay, but Sam, even if you steal Jason's medical records, what are you going to do with them. I mean, you'd need a neurologist to understand it."

"Couldn't you help?"

"I'm just in school," Emily said. "I don't think – I don't know anything about neurology. I don't think I could. I could get books on it, but we wouldn't get that kind of time with his records, and even then, there are things that are more complicated… Look, if you want, I could talk to my parents, ask them about the accident –"

Sam sighed. "No. No offense, Emily, but I don't trust your parents any more than I trust Dr. Thomas."

"What are you looking for?"

"I don't know, but it feels like I should know something. Jason doesn't really know anything about the accident, and Dr. Thomas keeps bringing it up. Something happened. Do you know what?"

"All I know is that A.J. was driving drunk, crashed into a tree, with Jason in the car. And I know Jason woke up, and wasn't the same man, and my family couldn't accept that."

"Nothing about what happened when Jason was in the hospital? Or who brought Dr. Thomas to treat him?"

"No. I wasn't here then," Emily said, then paused. "But if you want to know anything about it and you don't trust my parents – and I'm not sure I blame you there," she said, thinking, "the best thing I can think to do is ask my cousin, Ned. I'm not sure if he'll tell you anything or not, but if it was family business, he probably knows about it. He took responsibility for the accident back then, so that A.J. wouldn't get arrested for driving drunk."

"I don't want him getting the Quartermaines all guarded, in a huff," Sam said quietly. "Do you think I can trust him?"

"I'll talk to him if you want. I'll make it seem like it's me wondering."

"You sure you don't mind?"

"What are friends for," Emily said. "I'll call you later," She promised Sam before leaving. "Just don't do anything stupid like trying to break in for those files."

Sam didn't answer that. She just turned back towards the direction she'd been walking. She stopped when she was near the chief of staff's office.

Alan's office. She thought it was as good a place as any to look for something on Jason's medical files. She tried the doorknob. Not locked. Good, she figured, she was in luck.

"Probably won't find anything," she muttered.

---

Sarah Webber found Dr. Alan Quartermaine in the hallway. "Am I still supposed to meet you in your office, or have you gotten pulled away?" She asks, noting he has a medical chart in his hands.

"No, no. I've got your resume in here somewhere, Dr. Webber, and I've spoken with the board about the neurological research you want to work on here at the hospital. They were very impressed with your recent work overseas. We have a lot to talk about," he answered. "Just give me an extra fifteen minutes or so. You can wait in my office. It should be open."

Sarah Webber did walk past him, towards his office.

---

Sam was going through the filing cabinet when she heard the door open behind her. Not knowing what else to do, she quickly ducked under the desk. But Sarah Webber had already seen her, and the blond girl started laughing.

"I suggest you come out. Someone's going to notice you down there eventually. Plus, you left the filing cabinet open."

Sam sighs as she pulls herself up. "I must be losing my touch."

---

Reese locked the door to the woman's restroom as she entered. She moved quickly from one stall to the next, pushing at each of the doors, searching to make sure the room was clear. No one there.

She pulled out her cell phone. She'd been going to public places to make these calls lately. It was only two days ago, she'd found the first bug. She couldn't know how much they'd picked up of the whole "Charlotte," story she'd been telling Ric, and she couldn't even be truly sure who was listening.

"Hey. It's me." She said, as the person answered. "Yeah, I'm somewhere safe. I haven't found any new bugs. I destroyed the last one pretty naturally. Watered the plant a little too much. Think I shorted it. Stupid place to put it," she said, sighing. "But I'm not really getting anywhere."

She paced as she listened.

"No, I don't think Sonny planted the bug, at least not if it was working recently. Sonny would have confronted me about the Charlotte crap already. He's an explosive man. I think he'll forgive me that, if he finds out. Ric Lansing might tell him at any time. But that's part of the plan, right?"

She stopped pacing and leaned against the sink.

"Okay. Well, I'm getting closer, but at the same time, never close enough. Seems like Sonny trusts me, but he never lets his women get involved in business, and he keeps his paper trail well away from me."

She tapped her heel as she listened to the response.

"Yeah, well, trust is important. Who would have guessed that the best way to get in was to be an FBI agent from the beginning? What kind of stupid crime boss gets involved with an FBI agent in the first place? Even an ex-FBI agent?" She clucked her tongue, smiling, her face different, gaining real humor. "Hubris. Exactly."

---

"Hey. Look what I brought you," Ric entered Alexis's hospital room, carrying Kristina. He stopped, a tiny bit surprised at the sight of Jax, but not completely. But he nodded his head at Jax in greeting.

Alexis smiled as Ric brought Kristina around.

"Thought it would be better than flowers."

"Definitely is," Alexis agreed. "Hey, baby," she said, as Kristina climbed up next to her, from Ric's arms. "I swear you've grown," she told the girl, and Ric and Jax laughed.

"It's been two days," Ric said, but he smiled.

"Maybe I always imagine her tinier."

Jax was watching them, unsure whether he should leave his chair. Not really wanting to leave the hospital, and not having much hope of getting through to Courtney, he stayed a minute longer, watching Kristina. Kristina, for her part, looked completely absorbed with Alexis's hair.

"Curly. Like mine," Kristina said, as if approving the style.

"Yes, it is. A little more matted than yours, though, honey," Alexis said, laughing. She hadn't been given a mirror knew she couldn't look quite her best at the moment. "Have you been good for Viola today?"

Kristina looked confused for a moment. "I like Viola," she said, as if at a loss to answer the actual question.

Alexis knew immediately that something was up, though her first thought was that her girl had finesse. It wasn't often you get an evasive response from a three year old. "Hasn't she been with Viola, in the apartment?" Alexis asked Ric quietly. She knew the little girl had been until yesterday, still safe at home.

He sighed. A fight was the last thing he'd wanted when he came there. "She was, mostly. But she stayed at Graystone this morning. Once Sonny found out they were still holding you, he thought she belonged with him while you were in the hospital." He almost added, _And I didn't tell him you were still here_. But he didn't feel like being on the defensive, going round for round on this one. Especially not in front of Kristina. Or Jax, for that matter, who was still sitting a few feet away.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Her voice was calm, almost light. She was careful not to raise her voice, or sound shrill in front of Kristina. She put her other arm around the little girl, as if to shield her. But Kristina still looked on the adults with wide eyes, as if she knew something was going wrong right in front of her.

"What were you going to do?" Ric pointed out. "Unlimited visitation, remember. Reinstated. I thought it was better not to get you upset."

"Jax," Alexis said quietly. "Would you mind taking Kristina for a few minutes, maybe down to the cafeteria for something, so Ric and I can talk?"

"Sure," Jax agreed, standing. He offered Kristina his hand. "You want a ride on Uncle Jax's shoulders?"

Kristina giggled, charmed, and nodded, taking his hand. He lifted her to his shoulders and left Ric and Alexis to their fight.

"She's not sleeping there, is she?" Still, keeping her voice even.

"I imagine that Sonny will expect it, seeing as you're not going home."

Alexis started to sit upright, and looked about ready to bolt out of bed.

"Oh, that's a great idea," Ric said. "Let's jeopardize the health of our child, and you, just to stick it to Sonny."

"No one said I was getting up or going home," she said. "I just can't think like that. That is the world's worst position, let me tell you. I feel like a deranged pretzel, and that puts me in no condition to figure out a plan."

"What plan? The mother's in the hospital, the kid stays with the father. While I understand your reservations about Sonny, there's no real case for changing that plan."

"You could talk to him. Suggest keeping Kristina at the apartment, in her own bed. That makes sense, too. Days are one thing, but nights…"

Ric nodded. As much as he didn't want to get involved, he couldn't think of any better solution. "Okay. I'll try."

Alexis almost looked a little surprised, but she smiled. "Thank you."

---

Skye glanced over the rose garden, suddenly overwhelmed by how much she missed Lila. And the influence Lila had brought to the mansion. She'd only come outside to get away from Tracy and Edward squabbling; she hadn't expected to get lost in thought. She'd wanted something more serene than thought.

Really, she wanted a drink, and this was the worst kind of wanting one, because nothing terrible had happened. No big explosion. Just a thousand little cracks in her skin, a feeling underneath herself, inside her skin, a heaviness. The worst kind of feeling. And it had her frozen in place, safe, here with the roses.

"You never told me what you thought of my suggestion."

It was Luke behind her, but she didn't turn around.

"I haven't thought a whole lot about it," she said quietly.

"I want out of marriage to Tracy. I thought you'd agree with me on that."

Skye knew he was trying to manipulate her, and furthermore, he knew she knew. He wasn't being subtle. That wasn't their way.

"I'm not sure why you haven't."

"Because she won't give me my money," Luke reminded her. "That's the whole reason for the suggestion in the first place. To take it. The fifteen million. Remember? The reason for my wedded bliss."

His 'suggestion' would probably bankrupt ELQ, and while sabotaging Tracy's power as CEO and pulling the rug out from under her would be wonderful, it would also hurt the rest of the family. She'd have to betray them to help Luke embezzle the money, and she wasn't sure it wasn't going to lead to further crushing of an already battered family. She had lied when she said she hadn't thought about it; she had. She was even pissed at Luke for even asking – had been for about five minutes, until she remembered: that was Luke. And he had never pretended otherwise.

She wanted to say all of that to him. Instead, she just said, "Your suggestion is complicated."

"Because you aren't sure we can pull it off, or because you're not sure you want to be involved in it?"

She wasn't ready to answer that question yet. "It's complicated in a lot of ways, Luke," was all she said, before she walked past him, back into the house.

Tracy and Edward were gone, and Skye found a strange sight instead: Brook Lynn, looking sad on the couch. Since Ned's teenage daughter was scarcely at the mansion, she found that strange.

"Brook? Are you okay?" Skye asked, sitting next to the girl.

Brook looked up. "Yeah. I was told Dillon was here this afternoon. But I guess he's already gone. I've been trying to track him down."

The teenage girl looked close to tears. Her hair was messy and behind her ears. Actually, it looked like she'd already cried. She just looked miserable. Skye knew how she felt.

"Oh. Yeah, he was here. Tracy kept bugging him about something. They were talking earlier, not sure about what. He's not at home?"

"No. Or Kelly's. Or the Pizza Shack. Or on the docks. And Georgie's at the hospital, with Maxie, but he's not there. It's okay, it's no big deal. I really just wanted – to talk to someone."

"I'm sure Ned would love to have a late lunch with you if you called L&B," Skye pointed out to the girl.

"Someone not either one of my parents," Brook said, sighing. Talking about Diego with Ned sounded completely unhelpful. "Dillon is good at cheering me up," she added.

"Yeah. Dillon's a great kid," Skye agreed. She looked at the girl for a long moment. "You could talk to me. I'm not funny, and I'm not your age, but I wouldn't tell anybody. And I definitely would have no right to judge."

Brook smiled a little and nodded, looking softer than usual. "Maybe," she said, as if considering. "Thanks."

"You want to go get something to eat? Get out of this house, maybe, for some girl talk. We can talk, not talk. Get ice cream? Shop? Manicures? Something?" Skye threw out suggestions with a soft, light tone.

Brook laughed. "Okay."

---

Carly sighed as she sat down in a chair in Lorenzo's study. She took off her shoes one by one, not speaking to him at first. He looked up from his desk, but he didn't speak either. Just studied her as she readied herself for words.

That was something Carly liked about him. The space he gave her to get ready. She thought about that now, as she tried. She felt heavy from talking to Courtney.

"I came from the hospital," she said finally. "I saw Courtney."

Lorenzo nodded. "Not good?"

"No." Carly wanted to unload the whole sorry story on him. What held her back wasn't the fact that it wasn't hers to unload, that it was private to Courtney, that Jax didn't even know. No, what held her back was she still could hardly speak.

"Will she be okay?"

"She'll live," Carly said. "I don't know how okay she'll be. It was pretty bad."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Carly just nodded, before burying her face in her hands.

---

Elizabeth sighed as she looked at the piece of paper in front of her. Well, it was official. No doubt left, and no time left to consider what she wanted in anything. She was pregnant.

---

_**Coming Up Next Time:**_

_-The Webbers have a family dinner, but it's interrupted by some unsettling news._

_-Elizabeth shares her news with Lucky, and they make an interesting decision._

_-Sarah agrees to help Sam figure out what the Quartermaines, or Dr. T, are hiding._

_-I actually begin using Justus, unlike the folks on GH._

_-The police actually investigate something (Murphy/Jesse situation)._

_&More_


	4. Chapter 3: Two Sides of a Secret

**_Notes: (lots of them)_**

_1.) Thanks to those of you who reviewed first of all. I always welcome your thoughts and others. :)_

_2.) I was originally going to write the Sam/Sarah scenes another way – with Sarah's main interest in helping Sam being part of her neurological research (and that still will factor in), but I was inspired by the upcoming doppelganger story, and here we will assume "Sam," does have a look-a-like named "Alicia," though I am not basing that story point on any of the spoilers for GH. It was just an initial point to tie together the canvas. Tying the Webbers (via Sarah) to JaSam and that whole story makes even more sense later. But that's for much later. ;) _

_3.) Yes, this is still the same day as Chapter One, a few days later than the Prologue. Who knew I could manage to draw out one day for three chapters? It'll actually be 4, because the next chapter will STILL be the same day. _

_4.) I hope I'm writing the "cops" stuff okay. Crime and mystery aren't my forte – human relationships are where I'm much better than whodunit. (And please remember, my Murphy/Jesse story is somewhat different than how it played out on GH.)_

_5.) I know I promised the Webber family dinner would be in this chapter, but it was just too long to fit it without making it Webbers 24/7 (and messing with the chronological time). So, it begins at the end of this chapter, but the "news" will be in the next chapter. I never realized how long it'd get. Sorry._

_Enough notes:) Without any more fuss, here's Chapter Three of "Aftermath."_

_-Alison_

**Chapter Three**

**Two Sides of a Secret**

_---_

"_The cause is hidden. The effect is visible to all."_

_-Ovid_

_---_

Elizabeth approached 812 with the chart in nervous hands. These were her last rounds for the day, before she left. This was her last room, actually. The one she didn't want to finish. The one she really didn't want to pull now, after she knew for sure the results of her test.

She hadn't realized that Courtney's chart had been in the pile handed to her until it was too late to switch discreetly. No one at the hospital seemed to know or remember or think of the surrogacy plans, seemed to think there would be anything inappropriate or indelicate about sending Elizabeth in to check on Mrs. Jasper Jacks, two days after Courtney had miscarried and been disfigured by a car accident.

Elizabeth flipped through the chart first. Dr. Asher Thomas's name appeared in the most recent entry. He'd seen Courtney that afternoon for the second time. Psych check-ups had become regular since Courtney flipped out the first time she saw Jax.

"How is she?" Elizabeth heard Jax's voice and turned around. She hadn't seen him sitting on the chair, in the alcove nearby. She'd been so inside herself.

"I don't know yet," Elizabeth said. "I was just reading today's history. It looks like she's doing better. They may be able to go into surgery for the collar bone tomorrow, but I can't really say for sure." She paused. "And I shouldn't even be telling you that."

Jax nodded. He knew Courtney had asked them not to inform him, to keep her medical records private from her husband, to have Mike be considered her next of kin, if she needed surgery or any additional emergency that she was unable to approve herself.

Elizabeth had been in the room when it happened, when Courtney flipped, but even if she hadn't, she would have heard about it: everyone in the hospital had. Courtney – arm in a sling, collar bone shattered, face smashed – had a fit that looked nearly epileptic. They'd barely understood her shouting. She'd had to be restrained. It took them almost five minutes to realize what she wanted was Jax out of the room.

But what Elizabeth remembered most of all wasn't Courtney's reaction – it was the look in Jax's eyes when he realized he'd caused that, that she wanted him out that badly, that not only couldn't he help, he'd hindered, unknowingly, somehow hurt her worse.

Elizabeth suspected it was guilt, but that was only because she knew Courtney had miscarried, because she'd heard Courtney ask about the child and seen the look on her face when the doctors told her she wasn't pregnant any longer. Elizabeth knew because she could read the little blue note, early in the chart. But Jax didn't know any of that. Elizabeth imagined that was the medical information Courtney wanted to keep concealed.

"Ask her if she'll see me? Please?" Jax asked.

Elizabeth nodded slightly. "I'll try. I'll do the best I can without upsetting her."

"Thank you."

Elizabeth was just relieved Jax hadn't thought to ask about her own pregnancy, the surrogacy, whether it had taken or not. She tapped lightly, as was custom, and then entered.

"Hey," She said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I had my face cracked open."

Elizabeth grimaced at her tone, but there was nothing particular towards Elizabeth – not even any real hostility. Just bitterness. Sadness.

"Do you want me to see if the doctor can recommend something better for pain?" Elizabeth asked, but she knew that wasn't Courtney's meaning. "Though we have you on a pretty high dose already," she murmured quietly.

"Well, I wouldn't object to a wall of numbing meds, if you can arrange it," Courtney said darkly. She let out a long breath. "But I'm not counting on that." She watched through her gauze as Elizabeth made notes on the charts.

Elizabeth forced a small smile. "Would you prefer someone else come in from now on? Because I can tell them – "

"No, Elizabeth, it's not you," Courtney said softly, imagining Elizabeth's notes (Pulse: _normal_, BP: _tad high_, Temperature: _slight fever_, Temperament:_ bitchy_.). "Actually, once you're done writing down my vitals, we probably need to talk."

"Okay." This was what Elizabeth had been dreading. Elizabeth sat down, and put the chart on her lap. Jax may have forgotten to ask, but it was all Courtney could think about.

"Are you pregnant?"

Elizabeth bit her lip, not wanting to answer at first. She wasn't sure why – was it for Courtney, or herself?

But it didn't matter anyway, Courtney didn't need anything other than the look on Elizabeth's face. Even through the gauze, she could read it perfectly. "You are. It took."

Elizabeth nodded finally. "Yeah."

"Don't tell Jax," Courtney said, her voice halfway between a command and a plea. "Don't tell anyone. Make something up – a story, a change, put it off. Announce it next month. Make the baby Lucky's. It'll come premature, but it'll be his, or you could go away for awhile. No one would know the difference. It could work somehow." Courtney had been thinking a lot about it. She couldn't stand to raise this baby. Not now.

"How can I do that?" Elizabeth asked, even though the idea had almost crossed her mind, too, under the circumstances.

"I'll make sure he still pays you."

"It's not about the money, Courtney. I made a promise. To both of you."

"Please," Courtney said softly. "Please do this for me."

"I don't know if I can. But I won't say anything yet," she promised softly. "You might not even really want that anymore – once you feel better, you might change your mind."

Courtney couldn't imagine feeling better. Especially not with Liz and Jax's baby in her arms, when her own should have been there, too. "Just don't tell Jax."

"You know, he's outside now. Jax," Elizabeth told her. "He's been at the hospital all day. Yesterday, too. I think he even stayed overnight, in the waiting room. Waiting for you. Waiting to see if you'd let him in without screaming. Wishing he could fix everything."

"Well, he can't." Courtney closed her eyes, but Elizabeth couldn't see her expression. "And I can't let him in till I know for sure I can work through this. If he still takes this baby from you, I can't be any part of it. And there's no way he'll give it up if he knows."

---

Sam closed the filing cabinet and looked at Sarah, wondering what happened now that she was caught, and why the girl who'd found her looked more amused than outraged.

"What exactly do you think you're doing, Lisha?" Sarah asked. She looked about ready to laugh. "And when did you get to Port Charles?"

Sam had no idea who Lisha was, or who this girl was. But she decided to play along. "Not long ago," she said softly. "And I was looking for some files. Medical records. On Jason Quartermaine Morgan." There was no lie that was easier than the truth.

"Why?" Sarah looked more closely at the girl now, flinching a little, seeing something was off. But they were interrupted by Alan Quartermaine.

"I'm sorry it took so long, Sarah." He stopped and looked surprised to see Sam, with Sarah, in his office. "Hello. Sam, may I help you with something?"

"I was just talking with Sarah," Sam said, catching the name he'd thrown. "But I'll wait for her." Sam was out of the office quickly. Sarah looked confused by the whole ordeal.

"How do you know Sam McCall?"

"Not well," Sarah said softly. "I've seen her in passing. A few common friends. I had no idea she was in Port Charles."

Alan looked surprised. "I can't imagine what common friends you and she would share," he said, but he accepted it, without further prying. "Anyway, I have spoken with the board, and they think that your research is fascinating, and that you'd also make an excellent addition to our neurology staff. If you're willing to call General Hospital home again, Dr. Webber."

"That's the plan."

Alan nodded. "I'm actually very interested in your most recent study as well," he added slowly. "My youngest son has the kind of injury you've been studying, you know."

Sarah nodded, too. "I didn't know it was the exact kind, but I had heard about Jason. He and my sister were friends at one point."

"Yes." Alan looked down at his files again, as if unsure. "Anyway, anything I can do to help you further this research, any resources you need help acquiring within the hospital, you have my full support. The whole of the Quartermaines' support, whatever weight that still carries here."

"If you don't mind my saying so, I thought Jason was estranged from your family," Sarah said softly.

Alan's face changed. They had no reason to be discussing this, but he wanted to explain his attachment to her research. The study had affected him profoundly when he'd read it, just a few days ago. In fact, he looked more alive, less exhausted, for it. "I gave up all hope of getting Jason back years ago, but when I read your research, it was like finding that hope again. I don't know if it will lead anywhere, or if Jason could ever reconcile with my family, even if the damage was reversed, but finding that file on my desk made me feel like… working. It makes me happier to be here today."

Sarah smiled softly. "That's an awful heavy load, Dr. Quartermaine. And I've barely finished my residency." She could see him nodding, his face tightening as if agreeing with her and feeling foolish. "But if my research pans out, and helps your family or any other, that's what makes me feel like working. And happier to be here today."

---

Ric paced as he waited in Sonny's living room for his brother. He had no idea how he was going to convince Sonny that Kristina should spend nights in an empty apartment with a babysitter, instead of at Greystone with Sonny. But here he was, back in the middle again.

"Where's Kristina?"

"Hello to you, too," Ric said. "Kristina's still at the hospital. With her mother. Visiting. Nikolas is staying with them for a little while, in case Kristina needs something Alexis isn't in any condition to provide."

"So, what are you doing here?" Sonny asked, shrugging.

"Alexis wanted me to talk to you," Ric said.

"Let me guess, she doesn't want Kristina here. She'd prefer our kid be with the babysitter, and I not know she's still in the hospital."

"She just wants Kristina to sleep at home, in her own bed. Not to disrupt her routine, her sense of home and security," Ric said. "Look Alexis is already feeling guilty enough about being in the hospital, away from her. I'm just here because if Alexis pushes herself to get out, before it's safe, the baby could be at risk. And you know Alexis, she will if – "

"– she doesn't get her way?" Sonny said, rolling his eyes. "What did I do to her that was so bad, Ric? Have you figured it out, because I haven't? I haven't tried to take Kristina away. I had every right to try – and I didn't. I could have. Hell, Ned took her for a year, and he wasn't even the real father. I let Alexis keep our kid, and just asked to be a part of my daughter's life. Do me a favor, Ric. You remind her of _that_ when you go back to get my daughter." Sonny crossed his arms. "Actually, you know what, we've done this little dance through you long enough," he said, walking towards the door, "I think I'll remind her myself."

"Wait. That's a really bad idea, Sonny." Ric walked after him quickly. _'Great,'_ he thought. _'Worst possible case scenario, here we come.'_

---

Sarah left Alan's office and ran into Sam, who was waiting for her, looking nervous.

"What did you tell him?"

"Not much. Who are you?" Sarah said, looking at the girl for a longer moment now. "You're not Alicia Cranwell. Except for the hair and wardrobe, you look just like her."

"Who's that?"

"Another doctor I knew in London. She was from Boston. Her mother was a doctor, too. Giselle Worthing Cranwell, invented a lot of the techniques we use today in facial grafting. Father's family in the printing business. Any relation?"

"No." Sam almost laughed. That was about as far away from her life as she could imagine. "I would seriously doubt it."

"Well, the resemblance is uncanny. You should google her, or something," Sarah said, but she regained initial purpose. "So, who are you? And what do you want with Jason Morgan's medical records?"

Sam sighed. She didn't want to tell Sarah, but she didn't have much of a choice. She had to convince the girl to keep her cover. "I'm trying to help him figure out some things."

"He can request a copy of his records."

"It will be suspicious," Sam pointed out. "Besides, Jason doesn't know. He doesn't want to hear anything about the Quartermaines or the accident, but something's weird. I just know it, so I have to find out, for his own good."

"That's it. You want to know about his brain damage?"

"Yeah."

"Get his consent somehow, and I'll help you with everything. It doesn't need to be cleared through the hospital. Just find a way to get his consent to me. I'll be moving into my office here, tomorrow afternoon. Find me then." She paused. "And for the record, there is no physical file on patients for ten years. It's on the computer. So, stop breaking into filing cabinets, Ms. McCall."

---

Mac walked into the police station, looking for Murphy. He'd called on his way in and had them pull Murphy off duty.

"Where is he?" Mac asked the desk sergeant. He was all business now.

"Murphy's in the interrogation room. He was going to wait in your office, but the guy from I.A. is there now, wanting to talk to you."

"I.A. can wait. I'm going to sort through this first," Mac said. "Make sure they don't interrupt my talk with Murphy."

"Sure, Commissioner."

Mac entered the interrogation room, unsure of how to approach the situation. Did he want to go at Murphy, see how he reacted? Play it like he was on his side? Mac didn't know who's side he was on. He just knew he wanted to feel the guy out. He decided he'd see if Murphy would lie.

Murphy was sitting on the table, watching as Mac entered.

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Murphy asked.

"Yeah. Didn't expect you to wait in here."

"I didn't feel like mixing in with I.A. Unless you want me to for some reason." He paused. "They're here for Beaudry, I'm guessing."

"Yeah." Mac nodded. "Seems like he's been pulling drugs through the department, making some side deals."

"Seems like," Murphy agreed.

"You know anything about that?"

"Not any more than anyone else, sir."

"Or anything about what went down at that cabin, with my daughter, Maxie. She said something about you before she went under. That's why I called you here."

"I just know that Beaudry kept telling people it was me. Because I'm new, I thought. I don't have a lot of friends here yet." He paused. "And I was trying to track him, take him in, make him admit the truth."

"Were you at the cabin?"

"Only for a few minutes before it went down. Your daughter believed him, I think. He tried to make her think I was going to shoot her. I was just trying to bring him in, sir. I'm sorry I didn't call for back-up sooner." He looked nervous. "I know I way overstepped."

"Way overstepped is an understatement," Mac said. "You put Maxie in danger by acting alone and impulsively. And if you knew where Beaudry was, why not call it in immediately? Why try going alone?"

"I thought they'd believe him. He was setting me up at that cabin, seeding false evidence there. He told me he would. Goaded me. I don't know what he had against me, sir."

Mac looked skeptical. "I want you benched, Murphy. Pending further investigation. I'll arrange for full pay for two weeks, half after that, if you're still off-duty – until I.A. tells me you're under arrest, or clears you for work." He paused. "Seems like you are involved with I.A. after all, no matter what room you want to sit in."

---

Justus was passing through the hospital when Durant stopped him. "Mr. Ward, perfect, just the man I wanted to see," Durant said, wheeling himself in Justus's path.

"Why is that?"

"Because I'm suddenly in need of a lawyer. Ms. Davis seems to be unable to continue."

"I understand your predicament, but why on earth would you think that lawyer would be me, Durant?"

"Because you still want to be mayor," Durant said. "Even after everything, you still want to play for the good team. And I can let you back on it. An A.D.A. position, the best cases, a political leg to stand on, and then someday, not far from now. The office will be open in three years. And then, you get your place back as the man your parents expected you to be – the man you expected to be. By then, hopefully, I'll have Corinthos convicted, and my endorsement will mean even more."

Justus looked at Durant. He had thought about that, more than once. The guy had his number, but that didn't mean he trusted him. "You just want me to represent you to stick it to Sonny and Bobbie all at once. Same way you wanted Alexis."

"It doesn't hurt that you used to be his guy, no, or that it would upset him," Durant said, smiling and shrugging.

"The Quartermaines have a vested interest in the hospital. And I'm on the board."

"Not biting, huh? Okay, I've got deal #2 for you. I'll take a settlement, but only if you handle it, and only if you give me something else."

"Nobody's burying Bobbie for a settlement."

"I don't want Bobbie. I want Sonny. And you can help me, with that."

---

Felicia sat up straighter as Maxie's eyelids fluttered for the second time in a row. Bobbie had been watching through the glass, looking into the I.C.U. room with knowing eyes. She entered through the open door.

"It's reflexive," she said softly. "Her vitals haven't changed."

"But there's brain activity?"

"Yeah, there's brain activity. She's not that bad off, just way too stressed physically now to wake up."

"But she will wake up?"

"There's a good chance," Bobbie said softly, wishing she could say '_Yes, I promise'_ instead. "A very strong chance that she will – every reason to believe she will."

---

Elizabeth was crushing saltine crackers to put into the meatloaf when Lucky came in the kitchen. Cam's playpen had been moved near the kitchen, so she could see him from the counter.

"So, we're having company, huh?"

"Just my parents, and Stephen. And maybe Sarah." Elizabeth said, crumbling the pieces of cracker into a mixture of beef, cheddar cheese, peppers, onions, and butter. "I'm making a meatloaf and roasted potatoes. And probably some green beans."

"You need help?"

She looked up and shrugged. "Yeah. You can start washing and chopping the potatoes, that'd be great."

Lucky could tell something was bothering her. She was done mixing now and pressing the meatloaf into the pan, patting it down with some frustration. "Um, you don't look terribly…happy. It's not about Sarah, is it? Because we never really talked and if you want to –"

"No, no, it's not about Sarah," Elizabeth said, letting out a long breath. "Though I am not thrilled at the potential awkwardness of all that tonight, with Mom and Dad here. It's been a long enough day already."

"What happened?"

Elizabeth sighed. She took her hands out of the meatloaf and wiped them on a dish towel, sighing. "Well, I wasn't going to tell you till after dinner. After my family left." She put the dish towel down, slipped the pan into the oven, and turned to him. "But I'm pregnant. The surrogacy took."

Lucky nodded. "Well, we can deal with that. I've been a real jerk about it, but I promise I won't let it affect us – "

"Well, it is going to affect us. Maybe a lot," Elizabeth interrupted. "It's more complicated than you think. Courtney doesn't want me to tell Jax. She wants me to tell him it failed and to somehow pass this baby off as yours."

"Why?"

"Because – God, I shouldn't be telling you this," she sighed, but she continued anyway, "Because she miscarried again during the hurricane. In the car accident. And she wants no part of this baby, she says. I told her she might change her mind, but I'm not sure. I just don't know what to do."

Lucky didn't respond for a moment. He was peeling potatoes while he thought about it, and Elizabeth wasn't waiting for a response. She started washing the green beans, pulling off the bad ends.

"Why don't we do it?"

"What?" Elizabeth ask.

"What she wants, make the baby ours," Lucky said. "It will be best for us, best for Courtney, and maybe in the long run, best for Jax. If we tell him, he has to decide between his wife and his child, right?"

"I guess. That's what Courtney made it sound like."

"Look, we can do whatever you want," Lucky said softly. "I think that's the best choice, for everyone, but I'll be here either way."

Elizabeth just shrugged, still completely unsure what to do.

---

"I really should come see you two girls more often," Nikolas said softly, feeling better than he had in months. It was amazing the healing power of an adorable three-year old.

"Yeah, sometime when neither one of us is in a hospital room, or a jail cell, or any other kind of grave danger," Alexis said, smiling as Kristina played next to her, drawing pictures with an enormous set of crayons – something like five hundred in a huge, plastic case – that Nikolas had brought.

"Definitely," Nikolas promised. He paused. "You and Kristina are the only family I have left," he said, his voice suddenly sounding small.

Alexis reached out for him, and he met her hand halfway. "Things aren't any better with Emily?"

"She started seeing Dr. Winters at least, but it's even more time spent here. If anyone wants to find my wife, this is the place. Not Windemere." He sighed. "I know I sound selfish, and I really want Emily to do what's best for her, but how long can we live like strangers? How much time is the right amount?"

Alexis sighed, thinking about her own marriage. "I don't know. But as someone who's erred on the other side of caution, I'd have to say, stick it out until you're sure."

"You thinking about Ric?"

She was about to nod and say more when Ric came into the room.

"What about me?" He asked.

"Nikolas was wondering when you were coming back," Alexis lied. "How did it go with Sonny?"

"Not good. He's on his way here now," Ric said. "I had to drive like a maniac to beat his driver. Please, please, please, do not get upset, or make it any worse. Think of the baby. Think of Kristina."

At her name, the little girl looked up, but she didn't say anything. She and Nikolas exchanged glances. Nikolas wished he could reassure the girl.

"He's angry?"

"I don't know," Ric said. "Actually, it was weird. I think he was actually, more hurt."

---

Sarah entered her grandmother's room. Audrey was watching television and looked up and smiled to see her granddaughter. The room was filled with flowers, almost bursting.

"Look at this room. Every time I come in, you have more gifts," Sarah said.

"It's nice to know you're appreciated. And nice to see my family, even if it takes a bump on the head for it," Audrey agreed.

"Well, you'll be seeing a lot more of me, even once you get well, Grams." Sarah smiled as she sat down next to Audrey's hospital bed. "I just came from my meeting with Alan Quartermaine earlier. He hired me for a neurology staff position, and the hospital is going to completely fund my research for at least another six months after the initial grant money runs out."

"That's great news, dear. I had no idea you were coming back to Port Charles."

"I've been considering it for awhile. With the new grant, my research needs to be done in the U.S." Sarah told her. "I know it was a mess the last time I was here," she said quietly. "But a part of me still feels like this is home, strange as that sounds, even though I've spent most of my life somewhere else."

Audrey smiled. She had heard that often throughout the years. "This town has a way of getting under your skin," she agreed. "Don't worry about your sister, Sarah. Elizabeth will come around if you let her, and if you're honestly sorry. I don't think a person could hope for a more forgiving heart than hers."

"She takes after you, probably, Grams," Sarah said, smiling. They hadn't needed to discuss what had happened exactly. That was something she loved about Audrey. The way she understood without words.

"Speaking of your sister, isn't she having all of you over for dinner tonight?"

"I thought I'd sit with you instead."

Audrey shook her head. "No, you should go. I insist. I'm exhausted anyway. I'll probably do nothing but sleep the whole time."

Sarah sighed. She knew Audrey meant well, but Audrey hadn't seen the relieved look on Elizabeth's face earlier, when Sarah suggested she might not be able to make it. But, she wasn't going to argue either.

"Well, I'll let you rest then," Sarah said, but she didn't promise she'd go to Elizabeth's. She had no intention of joining the Webber family dinner that night.


End file.
